U.S. patent application number 14/224413 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-02 for image forming apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA. The applicant listed for this patent is CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Junya Akatsuka, Daisuke Aoki, Masaki Tanaka.
Application Number | 20140294474 14/224413 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51620992 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140294474 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Akatsuka; Junya ; et
al. |
October 2, 2014 |
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
Abstract
With the present invention, an image forming apparatus is
prevented in which a recording material on which a toner image is
heated and fixed and which is discharged is cooled, and the toner
image heated and fixed onto the recording material is prevented
from being melted. Further, a conveying portion is prevented from
being cooled, so that unevenness of cooling of the toner image is
prevented, and the image forming apparatus does not cause any
contact mark of the conveying portion. An air-blowing duct is
provided to guide external air to the recording material conveyed
by a discharge roller and a discharge driven roller provided at a
downstream side of a fixing device, and a blowing port of the
air-blowing duct is open at a position avoiding the discharge
roller and the discharge driven roller.
Inventors: |
Akatsuka; Junya;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Tanaka; Masaki;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Aoki; Daisuke; (Yokohama-shi,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
51620992 |
Appl. No.: |
14/224413 |
Filed: |
March 25, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
399/341 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03G 21/206 20130101;
G03G 15/2017 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
399/341 |
International
Class: |
G03G 15/20 20060101
G03G015/20 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 1, 2013 |
JP |
2013-075601 |
Claims
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner image forming
portion configured to form a toner image on a recording material; a
fixing portion configured to fix the toner image formed by the
toner image forming portion onto the recording material; a pair of
rollers which is provided at a downstream in a conveying direction
of the recording material with respect to the fixing portion, and
which sandwiches and conveys the recording material; an air-blowing
portion configured to blow air; and a guide portion configured to
guide the air blown by the air-blowing portion to the recording
material conveyed by the pair of rollers, wherein the guide portion
includes a blowing port in proximity to the pair of rollers and at
a position avoiding the pair of rollers.
2. An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner image forming
portion configured to form a toner image on a recording material; a
fixing portion configured to fix the toner image formed by the
toner image forming portion onto the recording material; a pair of
rollers which is provided at a downstream in a conveying direction
of the recording material with respect to the fixing portion, and
which sandwiches and conveys the recording material; an air-blowing
portion configured to blow air; and a guide portion configured to
guide the air blown by the air-blowing portion to the recording
material conveyed by the pair of rollers, wherein the guide portion
includes a blowing port at a position different from the pair of
rollers in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the
pair of rollers conveys the recording material, and the blowing
port is provided at a position overlapping a rotation body, which
is one of the pair of rollers, in a direction in which the pair of
rollers conveys the recording material.
3. An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner image forming
portion configured to form a toner image on a recording material; a
fixing portion configured to fix the toner image formed by the
toner image forming portion onto the recording material; a pair of
rollers which is provided at a downstream in a conveying direction
of the recording material with respect to the fixing portion, and
which sandwiches and conveys the recording material; an air-blowing
portion configured to blow air; and a guide portion configured to
guide air blown by the air-blowing portion to a recording material
conveyed by the conveying portion, wherein the guide portion has a
blowing port at a position different from the pair of rollers in a
direction perpendicular to a direction in which the pair of rollers
conveys the recording material, the blowing port is provided at a
position overlapping a rotation body of one of the pair of rollers
in a diameter direction of the rotation body of the one of the pair
of rollers.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a
plurality of pair of rollers is provided in a direction
perpendicular to a direction in which the pair of rollers conveys
the recording material.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
pair of rollers is a discharge roller pair which discharges the
recording material to outside of a main body of the apparatus.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein air
blow out from the blowing port to the recording material flows
above the main body of the apparatus.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
pair of rollers includes a driving rotation body and a driven
rotation body which rotates by being driven by the driving rotation
body, and a rotation shaft of the driven rotation body is attached
to the guide portion.
8. An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner image forming
portion configured to form a toner image on a recording material; a
fixing portion configured to fix the toner image formed by the
toner image forming portion onto the recording material; a pair of
rollers which is provided at a downstream in a conveying direction
of the recording material with respect to the fixing portion, and
which sandwiches and conveys the recording material; an air-blowing
portion configured to blow air; and a guide portion configured to
guide the air blown by the air-blowing portion to the recording
material conveyed by the pair of rollers, wherein the guide portion
includes blowing ports at a position facing the pair of rollers and
a position not facing the pair of rollers, in a direction in which
the pair of rollers conveys the recording material, the blowing
port at the position facing the pair of rollers is smaller than the
blowing port at the position not facing the pair of rollers.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus
for forming a toner image on a recording material.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A recording material discharged immediately after a toner
image formed on the recording material has been heated and fixed is
at a high temperature. In normal circumstances, immediately after
the heating and fixing process, the recording material is
discharged to a discharge tray by, e.g., a discharge roller.
Accordingly, high-temperature recording materials are stacked on
the discharge tray, and the toner image that has been heated and
fixed onto the recording material may be melted again by the
high-temperature recording materials that have been discharged, and
the toner image may stick to the back surface of the recording
material.
[0005] In order to solve such a problem, external air that has been
drawn by, e.g., a fan is blown onto the recording materials
discharged onto the discharge tray to cool the recording materials,
so that the toner image that has been heated and fixed on the
recording material is prevented from being melting again.
[0006] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-77565
indicates that a cooling fan cools a portion around a discharge
roller provided at a downstream side with respect to a fixing
device, and in accordance with whether a discharge device is
attached or not, the flow of air from the cooling fan is
changed.
[0007] When a high-temperature recording material is stacked on a
discharge tray, a toner image heated and fixed on the recording
material is melted again by high-temperature recording materials
discharged previously. Accordingly, the toner image attaches to the
back surface of the recording material. In order to prevent this,
the recording material is cooled by blowing external air, which is
retrieved by, e.g., a fan, onto the recording material discharged
onto the discharge tray, and the toner image heated and fixed on
the recording material is prevented from being melted again.
[0008] However, when the recording material is cooled, the
discharge roller and the like are also cooled, and therefore,
unevenness of cooling occurs in the toner image because of the
difference in the temperature between the recording material
discharged immediately after the heating and fixing process and the
discharge roller and the discharge driven roller, and failure may
occur in the image, e.g. occurrence of contact marks of the
discharge roller and the discharge driven roller.
[0009] The present invention is to solve the above problem, and it
is desirable to cool the recording material on which the toner
image has been heated and fixed and which has been discharged, and
the toner image which has been heated and fixed on the recording
material is prevented from being melted again. Further, the present
invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that prevents
the conveying portion from being cooled, thus preventing unevenness
of cooling of the toner image, and not making any contact mark of
the conveying portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A representing configuration of an image forming apparatus
according to the present invention for achieving the above object
includes a toner image forming portion configured to form a toner
image on a recording material, a fixing portion configured to fix
the toner image formed by the toner image forming portion onto the
recording material, a pair of rollers which is provided at a
downstream side in a conveying direction of a recording material
with respect to the fixing portion, and which sandwiches and
conveys the recording material, an air-blowing portion configured
to blow air, and a guide portion configured to guide air blown by
the air-blowing portion to a recording material conveyed by the
pair of rollers, wherein the guide portion includes a blowing port
in proximity to the pair of rollers and at a position avoiding the
pair of rollers.
[0011] Further features of the present invention will become
apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments
with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a sectional explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration in proximity to a conveying portion according to a
first embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the
present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a sectional explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration in proximity to a conveying portion of the image
forming apparatus of the first embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a top view explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration in proximity to the conveying portion of the image
forming apparatus of the first embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration in proximity to a conveying portion of a second
embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a top view explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration in proximity to the conveying portion of the image
forming apparatus of the second embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a top view explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration of an opening width, in the recording material
conveying direction, of the blowing port of the image forming
apparatus of the second embodiment at a position facing the pair of
rollers, and an opening width, in the recording material conveying
direction, of the blowing port of the image forming apparatus of
the second embodiment at the position not facing the pair of
rollers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0019] Embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the
present invention will be described with reference to drawings in a
more specific manner.
[0020] [First Embodiment] First, a configuration of the first
embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present
invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the
present embodiment, an example in a case where the present
embodiment is applied to a full-color laser beam printer will be
described as an example of an image forming apparatus 100. It
should be noted that the image forming apparatus 100 can be applied
to not only a full color laser beam printer but also various kinds
of image forming apparatuses such as a color electrophotographic
copying machine and a facsimile device.
[0021] <Image forming apparatus> First, a configuration of a
color electrophotographic image forming apparatus (which will be
hereinafter referred to as "image forming apparatus") 100 will be
described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a sectional
explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the image
forming apparatus 100. It should be noted that the main body of the
image forming apparatus 100 is a configuration obtained by removing
process cartridges 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and a cartridge tray 26 serving
as a cartridge support member from the image forming apparatus 100.
It should be noted that, for the sake of description, the process
cartridges 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d may be referred to as process cartridges
9 which simply representing the process cartridges 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d.
This is also applicable to other image forming process
portions.
[0022] It should be noted that, in the description below, the
closer side (forward side) of the image forming apparatus 100 means
a side where a door 28 serving as an open/close member configured
to be able to open/close is provided on the main body of the image
forming apparatus 100 (right side of FIG. 1). It should be noted
that the door 28 closes, in an openable manner, an opening provided
in an external wall 44 of the main body of the image forming
apparatus 100. The farther side (backward side) of the main body of
the image forming apparatus 100 means a side where a conveying path
50 for a recording material 14 is provided (left side of FIG. 1)
which is the opposite to the side where the door 28 is
provided.
[0023] In the main body of the image forming apparatus 100, e.g., a
sheet cassette 13 accommodating the recording materials 14, a
feeding/conveying roller 15, an intermediate transfer belt 18, a
fixing film 20 and a pressure roller 21 constituting a fixing
device 60 serving as a fixing portion, and a laser scanner 25 are
provided. The main body of the image forming apparatus 100 is also
provided with a cartridge tray 26 provided to be movable. The
cartridge tray 26 supports, in a detachable manner, the process
cartridges 9 serving as a toner image forming portion which forms a
toner image onto the recording material 14.
[0024] The process cartridges 9 include photosensitive drums 1a,
1b, 1c, 1d serving as image bearing members made of drum-shaped
electrophotographic photosensitive bodies and developing rollers
5a, 5b, 5c, 5d serving as developing members constituting image
forming process portions exerting on the photosensitive drums 1.
Further, charging rollers 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, serving as charging
members and cleaning blades 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d serving as cleaning
members are integrally provided. Each process cartridge 9 is
detachably attached to the cartridge tray 26, and is attached to an
image forming position in the main body of the image forming
apparatus 100.
[0025] The recording materials 14 stacked in the sheet cassette 13
are fed and conveyed by the feeding/conveying roller 15 rotating in
a clockwise direction of FIG. 1, and is conveyed to a transfer nip
portion between the driving roller 16 of the intermediate transfer
belt 18 and the transfer roller 17 serving as a transfer portion.
The photosensitive drum 1 starts rotation in a counterclockwise
direction of FIG. 1, and the external peripheral surface thereof is
charged by the charging roller 6. Laser light is emitted by the
laser scanner 25, serving as an exposure portion, onto the
photosensitive drum 1, which has been charged, in accordance with
image information.
[0026] Accordingly, electrostatic latent images are formed on the
surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1 in order. Subsequently,
toner serving as developer is supplied by a developing roller 5 to
the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, so that the electrostatic
latent image is developed. Accordingly, the toner images are formed
on the external peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1.
It should be noted that the process cartridges 9 are the same
except that the colors of the developers contained within the
developer containers are different.
[0027] The process cartridge 9a contains developer in yellow color,
and forms a toner image in yellow color on the photosensitive drum
1a. The process cartridge 9b contains developer in magenta color,
and forms a toner image in magenta color on the photosensitive drum
1b. The process cartridge 9c contains developer in cyan color, and
forms a toner image in cyan color on the photosensitive drum 1c.
The process cartridge 9d contains developer in black color, and
forms a toner image in black color on the photosensitive drum
1d.
[0028] The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive
drum 1 is transferred onto the external peripheral surface of the
intermediate transfer belt 18. When a color image is formed, toner
images in yellow color, magenta color, cyan color, and black color
formed on the photosensitive drums 1 are primarily transferred onto
the external peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt
18 in a sequentially superimposed manner. The intermediate transfer
belt 18 is an endless belt rotating and moving by being in contact
with each photosensitive drum 1, and is wrapped around the driving
roller 16, the tension roller 19, and the like in a tensional
manner.
[0029] The toner image transferred onto the external peripheral
surface of the intermediate transfer belt 18 is secondarily
transferred onto the recording material 14 that is fed to the
transfer nip portion between the driving roller 16 and the transfer
roller 17. The recording material 14 having the toner image
transferred thereon is conveyed to the fixing nip portion between
the fixing film 20 and the pressure roller 21, and is heated and
pressurized at the fixing nip portion between the fixing film 20
and the pressure roller 21.
[0030] Accordingly, the toner image formed by, e.g., the process
cartridge 9 and the laser scanner 25 constituting the toner image
forming portion is transferred by, e.g., the intermediate transfer
belt 18 and the transfer roller 17 onto the recording material 14,
and the toner image is fixed onto the recording material 14 by the
fixing device 60 serving as a fixing portion. Accordingly, the
color image is formed on the recording material 14. When a
monochrome image is formed on the recording material 14, only a
toner image in black color may be formed on the photosensitive drum
1d, and the toner image may be transferred onto the recording
material 14.
[0031] <Conveying portion> The recording material 14 having
the toner image fixed thereon is discharged to a stacking portion
24 by the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23
serving as a pair of rollers constituting a conveying portion. The
external periphery of the discharge drive roller 23 is in contact
with the surface of the recording material 14 where the image is
formed. The discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23
serving as a pair of rollers constituting the conveying portion is
provided at the downstream side with respect to the fixing device
60 in the conveying direction of the recording material and in
proximity to the fixing device 60, and the discharge roller 22 and
the discharge driven roller 23 serving as a pair of rollers
constituting the conveying portion sandwiches and conveys the
recording material 14.
[0032] <Cooling portion> FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory
diagram illustrating a configuration of a cooling portion provided
in proximity to the conveying portion of the first embodiment. FIG.
3 is a sectional explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration
of the cooling portion provided in proximity to the conveying
portion of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a top view explanatory
diagram illustrating a configuration of the cooling portion
provided in proximity to the conveying portion of the first
embodiment.
[0033] The recording material 14 on which the toner image is fixed
by the fixing device 60 is sandwiched and conveyed by the discharge
roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 constituting the pair
of rollers serving as a conveying portion rotated by a driving
source such as a motor, not shown. Then, the recording material 14
is stacked on the stacking portion 24.
[0034] At this occasion, as illustrated in FIG. 3, external air 11
drawn by an air-blowing fan 2 serving as an air-blowing portion
which blows air is introduced into an air-blowing duct 3. The
air-blowing duct 3 is coupled with the air-blowing fan 2, and is
configured as a guide portion which guides the external air 11
(air) blown by the air-blowing fan 2 to the recording material 14
sandwiched and conveyed by the discharge roller 22 and the
discharge driven roller 23 serving as a conveying portion.
[0035] At a terminating end portion of the air-blowing duct 3, a
blowing port 32 is provided in proximity to the discharge roller 22
and the discharge driven roller 23. The blowing port 32 is made as
an opening facing toward the recording material 14 sandwiched and
conveyed by the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller
23. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the blowing port 32 of the present
embodiment is an opening at a position which located to avoid the
discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 serving as a
pair of rollers.
[0036] The blowing port 32 is arranged to be aligned with the
discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 in the axial
direction of the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven
roller 23. The blowing port 32 is also provided between plural
discharge driven rollers 23 in the axial direction of the discharge
driven roller 23. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the blowing port 32 is
arranged inside of the external peripheral surface of the discharge
driven roller 23 in the diameter direction of the discharge driven
roller 23 (the conveying direction of the recording material). More
specifically, the blowing port 32 is arranged at a position
overlapping the discharge driven roller 23 in the diameter
direction (position overlapping the discharge driven roller 23 as
seen in the direction along the axial direction).
[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the external air 11 introduced
from the air-blowing fan 2 to the air-blowing duct 3 is discharged
from the blowing port 32 divided into three parts in the axial
direction of the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven
roller 23 provided within the fixing device 60. In the present
embodiment, a rotation shaft 23a of the discharge driven roller 23
is rotatably, axially supported by an air-discharge wall 8
constituting a portion of the blowing port 32. A closing portion 3a
for closing the air-blow is provided at a position of the
air-blowing duct 3 that faces the discharge driven roller 23.
[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the external air 11 discharged
from the blowing port 32 is blown in a direction indicated by
arrows in FIG. 3 to the surface of the recording material 14
discharged by the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven
roller 23 in the fixing device 60, so that the recording material
14 is cooled.
[0039] At this occasion, the external air 11 drawn by the
air-blowing fan 2 is blown through the blowing port 32 of the
air-blowing duct 3 to the recording material 14 sandwiched and
conveyed by the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller
23. However, a portion facing the discharge driven roller 23 is
closed by the closing portion 3a, and therefore, the discharge
roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 are not directly
exposed to the external air 11 blown through the air-blowing duct
3. For this reason, the discharge roller 22 and the discharge
driven roller 23, to which the external air 11 is not directly
blown, are not cooled.
[0040] The air which is blown out of the blowing port 32 and is
blown to the lower surface of the recording material 14 sandwiched
and conveyed by the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven
roller 23 flows along the lower surface of the recording material
14 which is being discharged and flows to the upper side of the
stacking portion 24. The air blow direction is configured such that
a component in a direction along the nip line of the discharge
roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 exists as a component
of air blow direction which is blown from the blowing port 32 of
the air-blowing duct 3.
[0041] Therefore, the toner image heated and pressurized by the
fixing film 20 and the pressure roller 21 of the fixing device 60
is fixed to the recording material 14. Thereafter, the toner image
is prevented from being melted again, because of the
high-temperature recording material 14 sandwiched and conveyed by
the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 and
discharged onto the stacking portion 24.
[0042] Further, the temperature difference between the recording
material 14 discharged immediately after the heating and fixing
process in the fixing device 60 and the discharge driven roller 23
and discharge roller 22 can be reduced, and unevenness of cooling
of the toner image due to the temperature difference between the
recording material 14 and the discharge driven roller 23 and
discharge roller 22 can be prevented.
[0043] [Second Embodiment] Subsequently, a configuration of the
second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the
present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.
It should be noted that those configured in the same manner as
those of the first embodiment are denoted with the same reference
numerals, or although denoted with different reference numerals,
the same member names are given thereto, and the description
thereabout will not be repeated here.
[0044] FIG. 5 is a perspective explanatory diagram illustrating a
configuration around a discharge portion of an image forming
apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view
explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration around the
discharge portion of the image forming apparatus according to the
present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a top view explanatory diagram
illustrating a configuration around the blowing port according to
the present embodiment.
[0045] In the present embodiment, at a terminating end portion of
an air-blowing duct 3, blowing ports 33a, 33b are provided in
proximity to a discharge roller 22 and a discharge driven roller
23. The blowing ports 33a, 33b are made as an opening facing toward
a recording material 14 sandwiched and conveyed by the discharge
roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23.
[0046] External air 11 drawn by an air-blowing fan 2 reaches
blowing ports 33a, 33b via the air-blowing duct 3. The second
embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment in
that the external air is blown through the blowing ports 33a, 33b
to the recording material 14 sandwiched and conveyed by the
discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 to cool the
recording material 14.
[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the blowing ports 33a, 33b of the
present embodiment is configured such that an opening width 33A in
the recording material conveying direction (the vertical direction
of FIG. 7) of the blowing port 33a at a position facing the
discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 serving as a
pair of rollers is less than an opening width 33B of the blowing
port 33b. The opening width 33B is an opening width in the
recording material conveying direction (the vertical direction of
FIG. 7) of the blowing port 33b at a position not facing the
discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23.
[0048] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, the blowing ports 33a, 33b
include the blowing port 33a facing the discharge roller 22 and the
discharge driven roller 23 with an air-discharge wall 10 and the
blowing port 33b not facing the discharge roller 22 and the
discharge driven roller 23.
[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the opening width 33A of the
blowing port 33a is less than the opening width 33B of the blowing
port 33b. Accordingly, the external air 11 discharged from the
blowing port 33b not facing the discharge roller 22 and the
discharge driven roller 23 cools the recording material 14. At this
occasion, a large amount of air is blown onto the surface of the
recording material 14 discharged as being sandwiched and conveyed
by the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23
provided in the fixing device 60 to cool the recording material
14.
[0050] On the other hand, since the opening width 33A is small,
there is small amount of external air 11 discharged from the
blowing port 33a facing the discharge roller 22 and the discharge
driven roller 23. Therefore, the discharge roller 22 and the
discharge driven roller 23 is difficult to be cooled.
[0051] Accordingly, the toner image heated and pressurized by the
fixing film 20 and the pressure roller 21 of the fixing device 60
is fixed onto the recording material 14. Thereafter, the toner
image is prevented from being melted again, because of the
high-temperature recording material 14 sandwiched and conveyed by
the discharge roller 22 and the discharge driven roller 23 and
discharged onto a stacking portion 24.
[0052] Further, the temperature difference between the recording
material 14 discharged immediately after the heating and fixing
process in the fixing device 60 and the discharge driven roller 23
and discharge roller 22 can be reduced, and unevenness of cooling
of the toner image due to the temperature difference between the
recording material 14 and the discharge driven roller 23 and
discharge roller 22 can be prevented. The other configuration is
configured in the same manner as the first embodiment, and the same
effects can be obtained.
[0053] While the present invention has been described with
reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.
The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all modifications, equivalent
structures and functions.
[0054] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent
Application No. 2013-075601, filed Apr. 1, 2013, which is hereby
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
* * * * *